NGOs urge gov’t to stop roundup of minors

MANILA — Twenty nongovernmental organizations appealed to the government to stop the round-up of minors amid the campaign to rid the country's streets of so-called loiterers.

In a statement Tuesday, the groups said they acknowledge that the policy intends to protect children from illegal drugs and other threats but stressed that the drive raises serious concerns.

The groups said taking minors into custody has “extremely detrimental effect” to them and these children experience violence at the hands of law enforcement officers.

They also raised concerns on the “insufficient safeguards in place” to ensure that minors rounded-up are appropriately protected as well as the inadequate and below standard facilities used to shelter children.

Moreover, the campaign violates the country's laws and policies and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Children, which the Philippines is a signatory, the groups emphasized.

Under the treaty, minors shall not be forcefully separated from their parents, be subjected to inhumane treatment and must be presumed innocent until proven guilty when they are accused of crimes or found violating penal laws, among others.

Aside from the appeal to stop arrest of minors, the groups also urged the government to immediately release children held in custody without prior authority or in threatening conditions and establish independent complaint mechanisms.